The most notable improvement in Kaspersky Internet Security 2012 is its new cloud-based detection network. It sends data anonymously to Kaspersky's servers, where a combination of automatic and manual processes figure out whether that new program you've downloaded is safe or not. The point of cloud-based detection is to lighten the suite's load on your system, while providing faster real-time defense. As you'll see in the Performance section of this review, the changes have made Kaspersky better at keeping you safe.

The Safe Run sandbox has been changed, too. The updates to Safe Run allow it to be used on the desktop itself, protecting users systemwide. The in-app access to Safe Run includes a folder that bottlenecks files created during Safe Run, allowing them to be saved to the unsandboxed desktop but scanning them for threats before allowing them to move freely about your system. Transitioning between sandboxed and unsandboxed states is smooth. It's been designed to resemble the Windows default remote access tool, so using it feels like a native Windows feature.

The File Advisor is a Windows Explorer context menu option for checking out a file's reputation without having to go through the main Kaspersky program itself. It creates a pipeline from the Kaspersky Security Network, or KSN, to the files on your desktop. We found it to pull down reputation data quickly, although its speed also will depend on your Internet connection. The Safe Run sandbox, which lets you run potentially dangerous programs in a walled-off garden, now works with both regular applications and Web sites. A green frame tells you when it's active.